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Shelter-in-place (SIP; also known as a shelter-in-place warning, SAME code SPW) is the act of seeking safety within the building one already occupies, rather than evacuating the area or seeking a community
emergency shelter An emergency shelter is a place for people to live temporarily when they cannot live in their previous residence, similar to homeless shelters. The main difference is that an emergency shelter typically specializes in people fleeing a specific ...
. The
American Red Cross The American Red Cross (ARC), also known as the American National Red Cross, is a non-profit humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. It is the desi ...
says the warning is issued when "chemical, biological, or radiological contaminants may be released accidentally or intentionally into the environment" and residents should "select a small, interior room, with no or few windows, taking refuge there."


Radiological and chemical defense

Shelter in place in radiological and chemical defense scenarios entails closing all household doors, windows, and vents and taking immediate
shelter Shelter is a small building giving temporary protection from bad weather or danger. Shelter may also refer to: Places * Port Shelter, Hong Kong * Shelter Bay (disambiguation), various locations * Shelter Cove (disambiguation), various locatio ...
in a readily accessible location that puts as much indoor air and
radiation shielding Radiation protection, also known as radiological protection, is defined by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as "The protection of people from harmful effects of exposure to ionizing radiation, and the means for achieving this". Exposur ...
-mass between the individual and the hazardous outside air, such as a basement or centrally located medium to small room, and trying to make it as
airtight A hermetic seal is any type of sealing that makes a given object airtight (preventing the passage of air, oxygen, or other gases). The term originally applied to airtight glass containers, but as technology advanced it applied to a larger categor ...
as possible by shutting off all ventilation/
HVAC Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) is the use of various technologies to control the temperature, humidity, and purity of the air in an enclosed space. Its goal is to provide thermal comfort and acceptable indoor air quality. HV ...
systems and extensively sealing the shelter's doors and windows from all outside air contaminants with damp towels, or if available, plastic sheeting and adhesive tape. Diagrams of what sheltering in place entails following a chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear (CBRN) threat, and how long it is advised to be done for, is provided by the U.S.
Federal Emergency Management Agency The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), initially created under President Jimmy Carter by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1978 and implemented by two Exec ...
-affiliated website Ready.gov. Shelter-in-place effectiveness has been evaluated and experimental results show that proper sealing can make a substantial difference to a normal home shelter, finding it to be at least twice as effective against a host of airborne substances when compared against simply staying inside and not implementing the countermeasure, and in most airborne contaminant cases, it is usually much more effective, depending on the
particle size Particle size is a notion introduced for comparing dimensions of solid particles ('' flecks''), liquid particles ('' droplets''), or gaseous particles ('' bubbles''). The notion of particle size applies to particles in colloids, in ecology, in ...
of the substance in question. If the occupant's
breathing Breathing (or ventilation) is the process of moving air into and from the lungs to facilitate gas exchange with the internal environment, mostly to flush out carbon dioxide and bring in oxygen. All aerobic creatures need oxygen for cellular ...
is the only consumer of oxygen and producer of
carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide (chemical formula ) is a chemical compound made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in the gas state at room temperature. In the air, carbon dioxide is transpar ...
in the room, then carbon dioxide levels would not begin to reach dangerous values until 3+ hours had passed, in most likely, 4-person home scenarios. In the military, "Shelter-in-Place" is comparable to "buttoning up" and has proved life-saving in certain nuclear fallout instances. accessed Feb 20, 2013 The danger of radiation from radioactive precipitation/"
fallout Nuclear fallout is the residual radioactive material propelled into the upper atmosphere following a nuclear blast, so called because it "falls out" of the sky after the explosion and the shock wave has passed. It commonly refers to the radioac ...
" decreases with time, as radioactivity decays exponentially with time, such that for each factor of seven increase in time, the radiation is reduced by a factor of ten. Creating the following 7-10 rule-of-thumb after a typical nuclear detonation while under the conditions that all fallout that will fall on the land has done so completely and no ''further'' deposition in the area will occur - After 7 hours, the average
dose rate A dose rate is quantity of radiation absorbed or delivered per unit time. It is often indicated in micrograys per hour (µGy/h) or as an equivalent dose rate ḢT in rems per hour (rem/hr) or sieverts per hour (Sv/h). Dose and dose rate are u ...
outside is reduced by a factor of ten; after 49(7x7) hours, it is reduced by a further factor of ten (to a value of 1/100th of the initial dose rate); after two weeks the radiation from the fallout will have reduced by a factor of 1000 compared to the initial level; and after 14 weeks the average dose rate will have reduced to 1/10,000th of the initial level. If an individual finds themselves outside during an emergency that calls for shelter-in-place, then effective but low-tech decontamination is required before entering into the shelter.


Shootings and bombings

The phrase "shelter-in-place" has also erroneously been used, instead of the more accurate ''
lockdown A lockdown is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks (such as COVID-19) that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely. The term is used for a prison ...
'', to describe precautions to be taken by the public when violence has occurred or might occur (particularly in shootings) in the area and the perpetrator is believed to still be in the area but not apprehended. The public in the area is advised to carry out all the same tasks as a typical shelter-in-place but without the key step of sealing the shelter up to prevent outside air from circulating indoors, in this scenario people are simply urged to lockdown — stay indoors and "close, lock and stay away from external doors and windows." In light of
active shooter Active shooter or active killer describes the perpetrator of a type of mass murder marked by rapidity, scale, randomness, and often suicide. The United States Department of Homeland Security defines an ''active shooter'' as "an individual activ ...
events and the panic that can ensue, a
lockdown A lockdown is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks (such as COVID-19) that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely. The term is used for a prison ...
alert issued as "shelter in place", can also be implemented as a response to armed events, such as the 2014 Fort Hood shooting. Similarly a lockdown alert was likewise issued as a "Shelter-in-place" alert by the
Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) is the agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts that coordinates federal, state, local, and private resources throughout the Commonwealth during times of disasters and emergencies. It is head ...
over the cell phone
Wireless Emergency Alerts Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA, formerly known as the Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS), and prior to that as the Personal Localized Alerting Network (PLAN)), is an alerting network in the United States designed to disseminate emergency alert ...
service for local residents during the manhunt for the
Boston Marathon bombing The Boston Marathon bombing was a domestic terrorist attack that took place during the annual Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013. Two terrorists, brothers Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, planted two homemade pressure cooker bombs, w ...
suspects.


Epidemics

During an
epidemic An epidemic (from Ancient Greek, Greek ἐπί ''epi'' "upon or above" and δῆμος ''demos'' "people") is the rapid spread of disease to a large number of patients among a given population within an area in a short period of time. Epidemics ...
or
pandemic A pandemic () is an epidemic of an infectious disease that has spread across a large region, for instance multiple continents or worldwide, affecting a substantial number of individuals. A widespread endemic (epidemiology), endemic disease wi ...
with an infectious agent posing significant risk of death or severe illness such as
ebola Ebola, also known as Ebola virus disease (EVD) and Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF), is a viral hemorrhagic fever in humans and other primates, caused by ebolaviruses. Symptoms typically start anywhere between two days and three weeks after becom ...
or
SARS Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a viral respiratory disease of zoonotic origin caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV or SARS-CoV-1), the first identified strain of the SARS coronavirus species, ''sever ...
, authorities may recommend "Shelter in Place" for the general population or for segments of the population at high-risk. Unlike other "Shelter in Place" incidents, recommendations may only be for particular at-risk populations (e.g., the elderly, the immunocompromised) and the recommended duration may be for an extended period of time (days, weeks or months). Shelter in Place may be implemented as a strategy for suppressing or mitigating an epidemic, for reducing numbers of critically ill patients presenting at the same time and for thus reducing the impact of critical illness on health care systems and reducing the likelihood that a surge in illness will overwhelm critical care resources. Shelter in Place may apply specifically to individuals or groups judged to be at-risk for death or serious complications if infected, and contrasts with Self-Isolation (voluntarily seclusion at home to prevent infecting others) and
Quarantine A quarantine is a restriction on the movement of people, animals and goods which is intended to prevent the spread of disease or pests. It is often used in connection to disease and illness, preventing the movement of those who may have been ...
(voluntary or involuntary seclusion of individuals exposed to infection for a period to determine infection status). Shelter in Place over extended periods in epidemics may involve significant logistical considerations including measures to safely provide food, medication and other supplies over time as well as arrangements for social and psychological support. When the term
shelter-in-place order Shelter-in-place (SIP; also known as a shelter-in-place warning, SAME code SPW) is the act of seeking safety within the building one already occupies, rather than evacuating the area or seeking a community emergency shelter. The American Red Cro ...
was used by the authorities in the United States in responding to the outbreaks of
Coronavirus disease 2019 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...
(COVID-19) in 2020, people were not familiar with it as the term had been used in other emergency situations such as an
active shooter Active shooter or active killer describes the perpetrator of a type of mass murder marked by rapidity, scale, randomness, and often suicide. The United States Department of Homeland Security defines an ''active shooter'' as "an individual activ ...
which would require seeking a safe place to hide within the same building that the person already occupies until the situation is resolved. This caused confusion to the residents under the order on exactly what they were supposed to do. Later, the State of California used the term ''
stay-at-home order A stay-at-home order, safer-at-home order, movement control order (more common in Southeast Asia), or lockdown restrictions (in the United Kingdom) – also referred to by loose use of the terms (self-) quarantine, (self-) isolation, or lockdow ...
'' instead. Other US states started using the new term when they announced their statewide order. Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York criticized anyone using the term shelter in place for his stay-at-home order as it would invoke panic due to its association with active shooting situations or
nuclear war Nuclear warfare, also known as atomic warfare, is a theoretical military conflict or prepared political strategy that deploys nuclear weaponry. Nuclear weapons are weapons of mass destruction; in contrast to conventional warfare, nuclear w ...
s.


Implementation

Residents of an affected community might be informed that shelter in place is being implemented through the news media,
Emergency Alert System The Emergency Alert System (EAS) is a national warning system in the United States designed to allow authorized officials to broadcast emergency alerts and warning messages to the public via cable, satellite, or broadcast television, and both ...
,
Reverse 911 Reverse 9-1-1 is a public safety communications technology used by public safety organizations in Canada and the United States to communicate with groups of people in a defined geographic area. The system uses a database of telephone numbers and as ...
, warning sirens or horns,
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (abbreviated as NOAA ) is an United States scientific and regulatory agency within the United States Department of Commerce that forecasts weather, monitors oceanic and atmospheric conditio ...
weather reports, and announcements from vehicles equipped with public address systems. In the United States, facilities like
nuclear power Nuclear power is the use of nuclear reactions to produce electricity. Nuclear power can be obtained from nuclear fission, nuclear decay and nuclear fusion reactions. Presently, the vast majority of electricity from nuclear power is produced b ...
plants are required to be equipped with audio alert systems that can be heard within a radius. Once a shelter in place is called, residents are expected to immediately go indoors, bring all children and animals with them, and to close and lock windows and doors. All ways in which outside materials may enter the shelter area should be eliminated, including closure of fireplace dampers, shutting off ventilation or climate control systems, and prepare an area for pets to eliminate waste that does not require allowing them outside. If told to do so via television or radio, those sheltering should seal their rooms with duct tape and plastic. Upon reaching shelter, those who were outside for a period of time seeking shelter after the shelter in place was called and who may have been exposed to chemical contaminants should remove all outer clothing, put it in a plastic bag, and wash with warm water. After an announcement that the shelter in place is over, residents should go outside and open all doors and windows to ventilate the shelter. Similar processes should be followed in cars, workplaces, or schools.


Cases

* In October 2009, authorities called a shelter in place in
Contra Costa County, California ) of the San Francisco Bay , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1 = State , subdivision_name1 = California , subdivision_type2 ...
, after a teenager committed suicide by mixing chemicals together. Three nearby residents who were affected by the fumes were treated at a hospital, and the shelter in place order was lifted after three hours. * On August 6, 2012, a shelter in place warning was issued in
Richmond, California Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city was municipal corporation, incorporated on August 7, 1905, and has a Richmond, California City Council, city council.
, due to a refinery fire at the Chevron Richmond Refinery. * On October 29, 2012, a shelter in place warning was issued in
Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...
, after a train carrying hazardous chemicals was derailed near Dixie Highway and Katherine Station. * On March 16, 2020, a shelter in place warning was issued in
San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...
and the surrounding
Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Gov ...
, to slow the spread of the
COVID-19 pandemic in California Ten of the first twenty confirmed COVID-19 cases in the United States occurred in California, the first of which was confirmed on January 26, 2020. All of the early confirmed cases were persons who had recently travelled to China, as testing wa ...
. The order was the first in California and soon thereafter other states in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, as well as many areas in countries throughout the world, gave shelter in place orders. The San Francisco Bay Area's shelter in place order was seen as a proactive measure that had a significant effect with 'flattening the curve' of the outbreak in the area. California, and Washington State, who also gave early warnings, were viewed as important bellwethers for modeling the spread of the virus if strict
social distancing In public health, social distancing, also called physical distancing, (NB. Regula Venske is president of the PEN Centre Germany.) is a set of non-pharmaceutical interventions or measures intended to prevent the spread of a contagious disea ...
, non-essential business shutdowns, and stay at home orders were in effect. * On December 8th, 2020, a shelter in place warning was issued in
Kanawha County, West Virginia Kanawha County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 180,745, making it West Virginia's most populous county. The county seat is Charleston, which is also the state capital. Kanawha Coun ...
, after an explosion at a chemical plant in
Belle, West Virginia Belle is a town in Kanawha County, West Virginia, United States, situated along the Kanawha River. The population was 1,171 at the 2020 census. Belle was incorporated on December 13, 1958 by the Kanawha County Circuit Court. It is the home of t ...
. The warning included any residents within a 2-mile-radius of Belle and stayed in effect until 2:30 a.m. EST on December 9th.


Example

KABC

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SHELTER IN PLACE WARNING
BY ORDER OF LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT,CALTRANS AND CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL
RELAYED BY LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT
12:00 PM PST SAT DEC 20 2016

THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE IS TRANSMITTED AT THE REQUEST OF THE
LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT.

THE LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT ARE ASKING ALL RESIDENTS OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY TO STAY INDOORS. 
AT 12:00 PACIFIC STANDARD TIME A CAR ACCIDENT HAS OCCURRED ON INTERSTATE 5 OUTSIDE LOS ANGELES COUNTY.
THIS MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENT INCLUDED A SEMI TRUCK CARRYING 5 TONS OF SULFURIC ACID AND TOXIC GAS. FIRE FROM ACID HAD RELEASED TOXIC GAS THAT IS IN THE AIR. THE DIRECTION THAT THE WIND PUSHED THE GAS INTO DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES. SHELTER IN PLACE IS IN EFFECT WITHIN 5 MILES OF THIS AREA. 

PLEASE DO NOT GO OUTDOORS AND REMAIN AWAY FROM WINDOWS OR ANY OPEN DOORS. 

PLEASE STAY TUNED TO MEDIA OUTLETS FOR FURTHER INFORMATION.


See also

*
Center for Disease Control The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the national public health agency of the United States. It is a United States federal agency, under the Department of Health and Human Services, and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgi ...
*
Civil defense Civil defense ( en, region=gb, civil defence) or civil protection is an effort to protect the citizens of a state (generally non-combatants) from man-made and natural disasters. It uses the principles of emergency operations: prevention, miti ...
*
Decontamination Decontamination (sometimes abbreviated as decon, dcon, or decontam) is the process of removing contaminants on an object or area, including chemicals, micro-organisms or radioactive substances. This may be achieved by chemical reaction, disinfecti ...
*
Duck and Cover "Duck and cover" is a method of personal protection against the effects of a nuclear explosion. Ducking and covering is useful in offering a degree of protection to personnel located outside the radius of the nuclear fireball but still within su ...
* Evacuation * Ex-Rad *
Mobile Emergency Alert System The Mobile Emergency Alert System (M-EAS) is an information distribution system that utilizes existing digital television spectrum and towers to provide information in emergency situations using rich media. The system can push text, web pages, a ...
*
NBC suit An NBC (nuclear, biological, chemical) suit, also called a chemsuit, chem suit, or chemical suit is a type of military personal protective equipment. NBC suits are designed to provide protection against direct contact with and contamination by r ...
*
Portable oxygen concentrator A portable oxygen concentrator (POC) is a device used to provide oxygen therapy to people that require greater oxygen concentrations than the levels of ambient air. It is similar to a home oxygen concentrator (OC), but is smaller in size and mor ...
*
Potassium iodide Potassium iodide is a chemical compound, medication, and dietary supplement. It is a medication used for treating hyperthyroidism, in radiation emergencies, and for protecting the thyroid gland when certain types of radiopharmaceuticals are us ...
*
Stay-at-home order A stay-at-home order, safer-at-home order, movement control order (more common in Southeast Asia), or lockdown restrictions (in the United Kingdom) – also referred to by loose use of the terms (self-) quarantine, (self-) isolation, or lockdow ...


References

{{Reflist, 30em Emergency management